The first Washington Monument is at this Maryland State Park
My wife and I pulled into the Washington Monument State Park parking lot just after it opened on a mid-summer morning. It’d been raining all weekend and had just stopped a little while before we arrived. Opening the door to the car, we were blasted by warm, humid air that almost took our breath away.
Exploring Washington Monument State Park
We did not know much about this park, only that it was near Antietam National Battlefield and on our way home, so we decided to stop and take a look around! I am certainly happy we did.
A few other cars were in the parking lot, but I did not notice anyone around. One of the very cool things about the park is the Appalachian Trail runs right through the parking lot. In fact, you have to hop on the AT northbound for a few hundred yards before coming to a spur trail to the left that leads to the monument.
As we hiked to the monument, it started to get foggier and foggier. I was really curious to see if we would actually be able to see it. Once we got up the small hill to the monument, we got lucky, and the fog broke enough for us to get a nice view of the monument, but we were 20 feet past it!
We hung out at the monument for about 15 minutes, relaxing and enjoying the view and reading some signs about the tower’s fascinating history.
Washington Monument State Park History
Washington Monument State Park protects the first monument dedicated to our nation’s first President, George Washington. It was originally built in 1827 by the citizens of nearby Boonsboro, Maryland. According to legend, about 500 people from the town hiked up South Mountain on July 4th, 1827, to build and dedicate the monument. The 30-foot-high structure was constructed with granite found onsite in two days.
In the years that followed, the monument was largely only known to locals, where it served as a popular meeting place for years. It’s believed that Owen Brown, son of abolitionist John Brown, led a group of men who escaped capture during a failed raid north past the stone tower. The Union Army used it as a signal station during the Civil War.
As the years passed, the monument, which was initially built without mortar, fell into disrepair. Weather, vandalism, neglect, and simply time took their toll on the tower. It was repaired in the 1890s but quickly fell into ruin again.
The site was eventually deeded to Maryland for use as a state park. The Civilian Conservation Corps rebuilt the tower to its present state. The CCC also built the park shelter and museum.
It was dedicated a Maryland state park on July 4th, 1936, 109 years after the first patriotic act.
This is a great spot to stop and check out if you are in the area. We only spent about an hour total there, but we could have easily spent longer. I got the feeling many people use the park as a good spot to hop on the AT and go for a day hike.
